Bryan c



(No Model.)

\ B. G. MGGABE.

' WHEELBARROW.

No. 562,139. Patent edJune16,1896.

BRYAN C. MCCABE, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

WHEELBARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,139, dated June 16, 1896.

Application filed February 15, 1896- Seria1No.5/9,433. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BRYAN C. MCGABE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in VVheelbarrows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wheelbarrows; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter described and illustrated.

In the erection of buildings, particularly in the cities, a construction-elevator is at the present time almost invariably employed, and the workmen frequently find it convenient to load wheelbarrows with the building material,

and then to wheel them upon the elevator by which they are lifted to the floor where the work is in progress, and then the load still upon the wheelbarrow is trundled off to the desired part of the building. It frequently happens that the space through which the elevator can pass is contracted, sometimes in one direction and sometimes in all directions. Consequently great care is necessary in locatin g the wheel barrow or barrows upon the elevator, that no part of it projects beyond the edge of the elevator, otherwise such projecting parts may come in contact with a beam or other obstruction, resulting in an upset,which always occasions loss and sometimes serious accident to the workmen. These occurrences arise more particularly because of carelessness on the part of the men who leave the handles of the barrow projecting beyond the edge of the elevator, and sometimes the forward or wheel end of the barrow is left projecting.

By my invention I provide means whereby the barrow as a structure may be materially shorten ed and still when in use be as service able as an ordinary one, and I not only obviate the dangers above stated, but also secure an important advantage in the shipment of the barrows fromthe factory to the place of use or sale. As now constructed they are a bulky article, and a considerable part of their cost is frequently occasioned by the transportation bill. made much more compact than heretofore.

In the drawings hereof, Figure 1 illustrates my invention as applied to a wooden-frame wheel; 0, the hopper or body.

Under my improvement they are.

barrow, the handles being extended. Fig. 2 illustrates the same as shown in Fig. 1, the handles being retracted. Fig. 3 illustrates a rear View of the barrow shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 illustrates the invention as applied to a metal-frame barrow, with the handles projecting. Fig. 5 illustrates the same as Fig. 4, the handles being'retracted. Fig. 6 illustrates a rear view of the kind of barrow shown in Figs. 4c and 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, A is the ordinary frame of a wooden barrow; B, the The frame does not extend rearwardly, constituting a handle as heretofore. On the contrary it is cut off adjacent to the rear end of the body, as shown, and flattened or rounded metal straps or bands D D are suitably fastened to the side frames having a lateral projection therefrom of, say, half an inch or thereabout.

E represents extendible handles, there being, of course, one on each side of the barrow. In the presentinstance they are represented as being made of iron or steel, preferably an inch and a half wide, or thereabout, and about a quarter inch thick, set edgewise, and enlarged at their ends into a handle F of suitable shape. These are arranged to slide through the straps D I), and inasmuch as they are not so wide as the side piece of the frame A, I fill in the upper portion of the straps by a strip of board or other suitable material, (shown at G,) which is fastened to the side frame A in any preferred manner. If the handle-pieces are made of wood instead of metal, then the straps D should have greater lateral projection from the sides of the barrow-frame, and the wooden handles will entirely fill them, so that the strips G will be omitted.

11 is a pin which projects laterally from the end of the handles E, which prevents them from being withdrawn too far, by striking against the most forward strap D.

In Figs. at and 5 I show a barrow having a metal frame. The parts are marked the same as before, but in this case the frame is made of iron pipe and the handles E are likewise of iron pipe of a smaller diameter, so that they slide within or telescope the side bars of the main frame. A stop to prevent the handles from being drawn too far outwardly may be provided in any suitable manner-as, for example, bya screw H, threaded through the sidebars of the main frame, which enters and works through a slot made in the extendible handles E, or any other suitable device may be adopted. Ialso reduce the forward projection of the wheel by bending the forward end of the ground-brace upon which v the wheel-bearings are placed sharply upward at their forward ends, as shown at I in Figs. 3 and 4. This has the effect of bringing the wheel farther under the barrow, thus shortening the structure as a whole. This construction may be employed in the case of wooden frames, as well as metallic-frame barrows, but on the score of appearance and convenience of manufacture, expense, &C., is rather more applicable to metal-frame barrows.

The operation is obvious from what has already been stated. The workman is instructed that he is to properly locate his barrow upon the elevator, and before leaving it he must shove both of the handles fully in. This is a simple physical act, thoroughly comprehensible by the most ignorant workman,

'and it results in shortening the barrow so markedly that accidents are avoided, and, also, it is possible to use barrows for the purposes stated, when they embody my invention, in many cases where otherwise it would be impossible so to do.

It will be particularlyobserved that in both forms of my invention the handle part is straight, conforming to the side bars of the main frame of the barrow, so that, when desiring to shorten it, the extendible handles may be shoved forwardly to practically their whole length. Consequently the resulting structure is practically no longer than the length of the body, plus the slight projection of the wheel. If the handles were curved, this result could not be obtained.

I claim- 1. A wheelbarrow having straight tubular side bars forming part of the main frame, and straight extendible handles which telescope the said tubular bars, for the purposes set forth.

2. A wheelbarrow having straight side bars for the upper part of the main frame, straight, extendible handles, movably connected to said bars, and a wheel-supporting frame brought under the barrow by curving its front portions upwardly, for the purposes set forth.

A wheelbarrow, the side bars of the main frame of which are tubular and straight, straight, extendible handles which slide within the said tubular bars, and means to limit the outward movement of the said extendible handles, for the purposes set forth.

i. A wheelbarrow, the side bars of the main frame 'of which are straight and tubular, extendible handles also straight, which slide within the said tubular bars, means to limit the outward movement of the extendible handles, and a wheel-supporting frame, shortened forwardly by bending the forward ends thereof upwardly, for the purposes set forth.

5. A wheelbarrow, the upper part of the frame whereof is made of straight bars, which stop rearwardly substantially on the line of the body of the barrow, extendible handles, also straight, and means to movably connect said handles to said bars, for the purposes set forth.

U. A wheelbarrow, the upper part of the frame whereof is made of straight, tubular bars, which stop rearwardly substantially on the line of the body of the barrow, extendible handles also straight, which telescope said tubular bars, and means to limit the outer movement of the handles, for the purposes set forth.

7. A wheelbarrow, the upper part of the frame whereof is made of straight bars, which stop rearwardly substantially on the line of the body of the barrow, extendible handles also straight, and means to me 'ably connect said handles to said bars, the front end of the lower part of the frame of the barrow bein shortened by turning the same upwardly, for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of York, this llth day of February, A. D. 1896.

BRYAN C. MCCABE.

Vi tnesscs:

PHILLIPS Asnor'r, A. B. MoRmsoN. 

